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The Tides at Charleston: A real scene-setter

Cast members of ‘As the World Turns’ filmed at the adult living community two weeks ago

One of the production assistants from America's longest running daytime soap opera, "As the World Turns," filmed recently on the grounds of The Tides at Charleston.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSETTA DEMENNA “There was a lot of buzz around the community from local residents when they found out what was going on,” said local resident Joyce Gilberti, who serves as the design center manager for The Tides. “It really was so exciting for everyone to have them down here.”

It was also a compliment to The Tides that “As the World Turns” would select it as a location during the popular soap opera’s final season.

After 54 years as a daytime program on CBS-TV, the drama is to conclude its run this coming September.

During its heyday between 1958 and 1978, “As The World Turns” was the most-watched daytime show on television with more than 10 million viewers per day.

It turned cast members such as Helen Wagner, Don MacLaughlin, Don Hastings and Eileen Fulton into nationally-recognizable celebrities; the show passed the 10,000-episode mark in May 1995.

When its sister show, “Guiding Light,” was not renewed last September, however, “As the World Turns” became the last remaining soap opera produced by Proctor & Gamble on television.

CBS elected not to renew its contract after this season, despite the fact that “As the World Turns has won 43 Daytime Emmy awards, including the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series in 1987, 1991, 2001 and 2003.

A credit to the television and film industry within the city, the show taped exclusively within the five boroughs – the first four-and-a-half decades in Manhattan and the past 10 years in Brooklyn.

Yet for the episode set to air on March 11 at 2 p.m., representatives for the show felt that a trip over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was in order.

“We heard from a representative from the show (in January) who happens to be a resident of Staten Island,” said Ms. Gilberti. “She said they wanted a community-type atmosphere. They were looking for something similar to garden apartments, and wanted to shoot it here.”

It wasn’t the first time that a production company has asked the 4-year-old community for permission to shoot scenes on the grounds, according to Ms. Gilberti.

Just last year, Oscar-winning producer and director Martin Scorsese shot a piece of the pilot for his HBO series, “Boardwalk Empire,” at The Tides and Kreischer Mansion, located across the street.

“I love when (production companies) do something here,” said Ms. Gilberti. “It allows us to showcase what a one-of-a-kind, great community we have here. And if it wasn’t so pretty, I’m sure they wouldn’t want to film here.”

Jamie Lee is a reporter for the Staten Island Advance. He covers the West and South Shores and may be reached at jamielee@siadvance.com.